Fridays Feast - One Hundred Thirteen

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APPETIZER: What is your favorite herb or spice?

Garlic


SOUP: Name a song you like but haven't heard in a long time.

He Looked Beyond My Faults and Saw My Needs



SALAD: If you were to take just one minute to write down as many things as you can think of that you need (not want) to do, approximately how many things would there be?

27++++



MAIN COURSE: Tell something interesting about one of your family members (nothing scandalous, please, just unique)

My husband is a building contractor by trade and a country gospel singer.


DESSERT: What's the latest you've ever stayed awake?

Surely everyone has stayed awake all night at least some point in their "younger" life.

One Day At A Time

If you haven't read Melissa' blog at Breath Of Life I suggest you do so.

Live "One Day At A Time".

I Am Apple Green

I found this over at Journey to The Prize. See what color green you are!

You Are Apple Green

You are almost super-humanly upbeat. You have a very positive energy that surrounds you. And while you are happy go lucky, you're also charmingly assertive. You get what you want, even if you have to persuade those against you to see things your way. Reflective and thoughtful, you know yourself well - and you know that you want out of life.

What Color Green Are You?

And the story continues....

As I mentioned in this post, God's plans differed from mine.

As the story continues -

We had visited some churches, but hadn't really found one we were comfortable in. Perhaps I had been a little reserved in my search because it wasn't my intentions to remain in Illinois much longer.

Judy, my cousin, had supplied me with a range of gospel music to listen to and they were very uplifting. I had also been reading my Bible and we watched some TV preaching. There were changes going on in my life and I knew the Lord was working in me.

I had remained friends with the 10-year relationship man, and occasionally we did date. But I was praying for the Lord to send me a "wonderful Christian man". I had been divorced for 11 years and I was getting weary of making all the decisions, being the only financial source, and all that goes with being a single parent. I really turned it all over to the Lord because it was obvious to me that over the years my selection of men had not worked. Most of my relationships had been abusive in one way or another. I was completely trusting in the Lord, which I was learning to do more and more.

I had continually prayed that the house would sell and everything would come together as "I" planned.

I can remember it was a Sunday afternoon and a there was a knock on the door. This 50-ish aged couple had been walking by and noticed the "For Sale" sign in the yard and wanted to know if they could view the house. They made an offer and the house was sold. They told me later on that they never knew why they were buying this house. They hadn't even been in the market for one (they were purchasing it as a rental), but she said the day they knocked on my door it was just like "something had drawn them to it". Hmmmmm.

We moved into my mom's basement, she put her house up for sale, and I attempted to find a job 450 miles away. It was difficult, frustrating and getting discouraging.

I had been working at my present job for 10 years and the last couple of years it had gotten very stressful. The job itself I liked, but my boss was getting difficult to work with. So I made a decision that Kyle, my youngest son, and I would come ahead. I would find work, a place to live and hope mom and Lonny, my oldest, would follow shortly. Lonny was a junior so he wanted to stay with his grandma so he could continue school there. Kyle and I arrived in Arkansas on July 19th, 1993.

We stayed with my cousin (the keyboard player in the gospel group) who had 2 sons between the ages of my two. We had a great time and made some wonderful memories there. I didn't look for a job immediately as I was appreciating the break from all that stress. If you have ever been in a situation like that you may know what I am talking about here. Like I said, I knew I had been stressed but I didn't realize just how much. But I began to notice after a couple of weeks that my shoulders didn't seem to be as tense and that everyday (I'm not exaggerating here), for about a month I could feel the tension leaving.

The end of August I went to work at a family-owned business. Many times a business ran by family isn't a good environment to work in but these were wonderful christian people and they became like family.

Kyle and I attended the small non-denominational church that my cousin, Judy, went to. The other members of the gospel group I mentioned earlier also attended this church. We most always rode the bus and went to their singings. The group consisted of Jim & Rita, lead vocals; they were the parents of Paul, lead guitar; and Lisa, lead and harmony. Of course there was Judy, the keyboard player and harmony singer.

At this point in time Paul was 21, married and had an 8-month old son. Lisa, 19, was also married but they didn't have any children.

Just prior to me moving to Arkansas Jim and Rita had celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows. They had married when Jim was 16 and Rita was a few months older than him. They had grown up together and were all each other knew about love. It was so obvious they still loved each other very much.

Judy and I were close, and I considered Rita a special friend. Jim would occasionally ask me how I liked living in Arkansas, you know, small talk stuff. I enjoyed being around all them and seeing them minister in song.

The latter part of August Rita developed a rash. It was determined she had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which she had gotten from a tick bite. By October she still wasn't feeling well and she had discovered a knot on her side. Although she had mentioned it to her doctor he gave her a clean bill of health. Her husband, Jim, took her to a doctor friend and he diagnosed her with colon cancer. Since it was a fast-spreading form she was immediately sent to Little Rock for surgery. They sent her home for two weeks because they were unable to schedule the surgery until then. (Go figure!) The first part of November she returned for surgery.

In November I purchased the 3-bedroom home I had first discovered when I had visited back in March. (Again, God was at work on this). The house had all paneled walls so I was painting them an off-white color. Other than that it was move-in ready. We were excited about our new home.

We were going to get our furniture and things during the Thanskgiving holiday. My aunt and uncle also went so he could drive the U-Haul. We headed out early Tuesday morning, arriving in Illinois early enough we could rest up a little that evening. On Wednesday we were able to visit, pack up the rest of our things, and finish preparations for Thanksgiving dinner. On Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving and my mom's birthday which was going to be Saturday, the 27th. We spent all day Friday packing the truck. We were leaving out early Saturday morning so we could be back in Arkansas late afternoon, early evening. We would be able to unload some that evening and still have all day Sunday.

Meanwhile Rita was taking a turn for the worst.

We had just arrived back home and I was making my way to the carport when I received a phone call. After only nineteen days, Rita had gone on to be with the Lord.

She was going to be missed greatly. She was such a sweet person and had blessed many people around the country. Ohhhh how she loved the Lord!

There is no doubt that there were difficult moments as the group continued without Rita ministering with them. But they pressed on.

I can remember telling Judy I pitied the woman who tried to follow Rita's footsteps. It was apparent to me that Jim and her had cared deeply about each other. I, for one, couldn't imagine him with anyone else. But then again, he was young at 41 and both his children were grown and married.

Over the course of the next few weeks Kyle and I were enjoying the weather very much. It was hard to believe it was December and we were wearing short sleeve shirts.

One Sunday after church Jim asked me what we were going to do for lunch. I told him Judy and her boys were coming over and we were eating leftover spaghetti. He asked if he could join us, along with Dale, the drummer. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food and we all had a good time.

The next evening Jim called to thank me for the meal on Sunday. He asked if maybe sometime we could get together over coffee or something because he was desperately needing some adult conversation. All that was available at his house were "young" adults and his 1-year-old grandson, who hadn't achieved verbal communcation yet.

Christmas was getting closer and Kyle had gone to spend the holiday with his dad in Illinois. Everyone always looked forward to Judy' Christmas Eve party. Naturally I was excited because it was not only my first Christmas in Arkansas but the first Christmas I would be spending with my grandma and other family members in years.

Christmas Eve had arrived. My aunt, uncle and grandma had stopped by for a brief visit on their way to Judy'. They had left and I was on the floor finishing some wrapping I had left to do. Suddenly I heard a vehicle in the drive. I went to the door as I saw Jim heading to my door. He asked if I had any coffee and I told him I didn't drink coffee but I had some tea. He mentioned he was on his way to Judy' also but realized he was going to arrive earlier than he intended to so thought he would visit me for a few minutes. I hardly knew Jim really, except in passing and pleasant small talk. I had always loved to hear him talk though, especially with that southern accent, so I enjoyed myself, in spite of being a little nervous.

Then we both headed to Judy'. There was a lot of activity with everyone talking and laughing, kids playing, eating food and just enjoying being together.

I got up early Christmas morning and headed over to Judy'. My aunt, uncle and grandma arrived soon after. Then came Judy' sister, Etta, and her husband, as well as Jim. After opening gifts and visiting we all headed down to Etta' for Christmas dinner.
After everyone ate too much and was winding down for naps, Jim asked if I would mind riding with him to visit some family in a town close by.

It was a very nice Christmas holiday for me. It was so good to be around family and friends. I missed my boys and mom of course, but it felt so good to be where I was.

The next morning I had to return to work. I wasn't sure if I should be having these thoughts but I was actually wondering when I might see Jim again. (Now I had butterflies in my stomach.) Suddenly the phone rang and it was him. He wanted to know when he might could see me again. I suggested he come by this evening and I would fix us something to eat. (More butterflies!)

He arrived at my house just as I pulling in from work. We entered the house and I was putting groceries away. He was leaning against the cabinet and said to me "What would you say if I asked you to marry me"? And without hesitating a moment I answered "I would probably say yes".

Now where was all that coming from and why was I so agreeable!!

Three days later, and me with a terrible case of the stomach flu, we were married.

I knew that he had loved Rita wholeheartedly and I would never want to take away from that. Perhaps it was the way I saw his love for her that prompted me to say "I guess I would say yes" to his proposal. He had been faithful to their wedding vows to the end and put them to rest with her death. The importance really lied in being right with God and the people that mattered....his children.

He says he had realized he had two choices. He could either wither up and die or he could choose to live. And he chose to live.......for his children......grandchildren.....his ministry for the Lord.....and whatever plans God had for him.

Jim, this "wonderful Christian man" and I will be married 13 years this December.

Fridays Feast - One Hundred and Twelve

Appetizer: Measured in minutes or hours, how much exercise have you had in the last week?

As far as structured exercise, none. But I'm constantly getting up from my desk, walking throughout the day, going up and down the stairs, vacuuming, mopping, cleaning, etc., so based on that, about 68 hours so far.


Soup: If you had to change your blog title to something else what would it be?

I actually have thought about this before. I didn't necessarily come up with anything then either, and it would require more thought than I can do in an instance notice.


Salad: Name one television show you watched when you were 9-10 years old.

Just one???? Can't do it! Andy Griffith, Father Knows Best, Donna Reed Show, Leave It To Beaver....ok I'll stop.


Main Course: If someone gave you $50 to spend with the condition that it had to be educational, what would you purchase?

Leap Pad or something like that for my grandkids. Although I might should get something to teach me about "html" or web design!


Dessert: Do you tend to prefer dark colors, neutral shades, or lighter/pastel hues?

It actually depends on what I am doing with the color. I seem to prefer my walls to be more neutral colors, while my pants and skirts tend to be more dark colors, but my shirts and such lean towards pastels. I have a guest room that is decorated in light purples, while my bedroom has richer colors.




Have you heard about the new "Bloggy Tour of Testimonies" hosted by Lauren at Created For His Glory? Here's some information if you care to participate:

"Can you just imagine though a list of testimonies of Christian bloggers all in one tidy little, Mr Linky place? Doesn’t that just scream Created for HIS Glory?

So here’s what I propose, on Sunday October 1st, I will post my testimony of how I came to faith in Jesus Christ with a Mr. Linky attached at the bottom of the post. I am inviting any Christian who has placed their faith in Christ and Christ alone for their salvation to post their testimony on their own blog and then come and leave the link to their post so that others can read it. Oh, just think how awesome it will be to read how God worked in so many lives to draw people to Himself.

And when all is said and done, I pray… to God be the Glory!"

A Little Background Info

I thought I would share a little background information first.

My dad, Dwight, was from Illinois, which was where I was born and lived until I was 4. Then we moved to Arkansas where my mom, Emma, was from. I went to kindergarten (wasn't required back then), and when I was in the 2nd grade my parents divorced. My mom and I moved in with my grandmother here in Arkansas, and my dad and brother went to California. (I only had one brother, Dennis, and he was 4 years older than me.)

At the beginning of summer after I finished 6th grade my parents remarried and off we went to live in sunny California.

Just to deter off a little here, I remember not wanting people in California to know that I was from Arkansas, so I used some Q-T (self-tanning lotion) so I would be tanned, like you think all the girls from California are. If you have ever tried to use Q-T you would know that there is an art to applying it. Needless to say I ended up with very noticable orange markings on my hands. Evidently I didn't rub it in very well and had dark spots and lighter spots. And there didn't seem to be anything I could do about it. A couple of days after arriving in San Jose my dad took us to an ice cream stand. Naturally I was embarrassed about my new orange coloring and didn't want to go to the window but my dad insisted I be the one to order. Would you believe the lady never said anything about my "tan"!! Instead, she immediately commented "you must be from the south cause you sure have a southern drawl"! I was devastated! Never did I give any thought people would know where I was from because of the way I talked. Maybe I thought everyone talked that way, I really don't know. My parents, however, thought the whole episode was hilarious and I probably cried and pouted all the way back home. Anyway....

Summer was almost over and school was about to start when my dad got word that my grandpa in Illinois had passed away. Since it was financially a hardship to attend the funeral services, my dad was the only one who went. Shortly after he returned to California they made a decision to move back to Illinois.

I was kind of glad really, because I wasn't looking forward to attending school there. You have to remember I came from a town of less than 8,000 people and about to start school in San Jose, then a population of over 200,000. It was getting a little overwhelming.

In spite of the divorce I had a wonderful childhood, filled with love, family and good friends. Even though I remained in Illinois for almost 30 years, my heart was always in Arkansas. I knew that one day I would return.

After graduating high school, I married, and soon had two sons, Lonny and Kyle. However, my husband and I divorced after 7 years. With my brother married and 3 children, my parents enjoying being grandparents, and the responsibility of raising my 2 boys alone, a move back to Arkansas didn't seem to be in the picture.


Dennis, my brother had been serving the Lord since about 1979. I knew that he prayed for me and longed for both my parents and me to dedicate our lives to the Lord. At the time I didn't feel like I was ready to make those changes in my life. However, in 1990 Dennis invited a country gospel group from Arkansas to come and minister in the area where we lived. My cousin sang harmony and played keyboard for the group, so naturally I would attend their singings and pretty much be around every waking moment I could just to visit with her.

I had an on-again, off-again relationship with a man for 10 years. I had known for some time that it needed to end, but sometimes as humans we tend to think that familiarity with a relationship is better than the unknown you may face alone. So I was still struggling with breaking things off.

It was the beginning of a new year, 1991 to be exact, and I began to feel a huge void in my life. And it wasn't because I was seeing less of this man. I knew that it was a void that only the Lord could fill.

I can remember in April that gospel group came to minister again and Dennis had already had a cough for a few weeks. But he assured everyone it was just sinus or something.

The end of May my dad was admitted to the hospital unexpectedly and required surgery. The need arose for additional surgery but because of his emphysema they transferred him for the second surgery to Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, IL, which was about 2 hours away.

Meanwhile they had been running tests and such to determine what was wrong with Dennis. He had lost 24 lbs in one week. After each test was performed they would always say "At least we know he doesn't have cancer". Which, naturally, was in everyone' mind. So that was always comforting to rule out. The doctors then decided to send him to an allergy specialist in Springfield, whom admitted him to St. John's Hospital. So my dad was in one hospital, and my brother in another.

After running a few tests on Dennis they decided to do a lung biopsy. The doctors had been wrong. He did indeed have cancer, it was in the lining around his lungs, which apparently is why it had been difficult to diagnose.

Not to get into a lot of details, I will say it was a very difficult time for obvious reasons. However, the Lord was continuing to do a work in me. I saw so much of Christ in the friends and family of my brother. The peace, comfort and that understanding that passeth all, that they seemed to share. Even throughout the situation I knew that I was being blessed by God. There were so many events that took place during this time that as I looked back I could see things unfolding. I knew that my parents believed in God, but they didn't attend church or profess to be Christians. But things even occurred with my dad that I knew, at some point during this situation, and even though he never said anything, my dad had asked the Lord into his life. On July 8th my dad went on to be with the Lord.

Now we were faced with telling Dennis. Because of discomfort with his disease, etc. he had only seen dad for about 5 minutes since dad's initial surgery in May until his death. Dennis was unable to attend the funeral services, but requested that we video it for him.

Dennis was finally allowed to return home in August. About a week later he was admitted to the hospital for congestive heart failure. I wish that I could relate to you the greatness of the Lord that I had observed throughout this. I'm certain many of you have experienced it in your own situations. God is an awesome God!

On Friday, August 9th, 1991 in my brother's hospital room, with him holding my hand, my mom and I dedicated our lives to the Lord. Sunday afternoon, August 11th Dennis went to meet his Creator.

Within a few short months my mom and I decided there was really no reason to remain in Illinois. We were going home to Arkansas. Her mother was still living there, as well as a brother, sister, nieces and cousins. The plan was we would sell our houses, move to Arkansas and live together and raise my sons. And I was content to do just that. But you know, our plans are not necessarily the Lord's plans!


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HAVE YOU ENTERED YET??

Susie over at bluebirdblogs says:

Autumn is my favorite time of the year, and it's just right around the corner. To celebrate the beginning of the season, I'm having a contest for 2 lucky people to win a totally free, completely customized blog design from Bluebird Blogs.

Information on how to enter:
- Send an email with your name and blog address to bluebirdblogs
- Entries will be accepted from 7:00pm EST on Thursday 9/14/06 until 11:59pm EST on Friday 9/22/06.

*Bonus* - Mention this contest in a post on your blog and receive 5 extra entries into the drawing!

The winner will be announced on Saturday, September 23rd, 2006. Good luck to everyone!

Outdoors, country living and family

I love to be outdoors and smell the fresh air, flowers in bloom, and freshly mowed grass. However, I do not handle the heat well at all, so I don't get to be outside much. For this reason I like the changing of the seasons from summer into fall (cooler temperatures).

It was a beautiful cool day, as I was on our John Deere tractor mowing the yard and thinking about how enjoyable the day was, and reminiscing of my childhood on the farm. I guess my mind got to wandering (as it does so very often) and thinking about some of the things Erin, over at Embracing My Cup, was blogging about the other day. She was referring to the pros and cons of country life vs. suburbia.

As my mind "wandered" even farther I was thinking about my family - my parents, brother, grandmother, husband, children, etc. (I listed them like ya'll wouldn't know what a family consisted of, sorry) I realized I haven't spoken too much about them, so I thought I would start introducing them to you on my next blog.

Fridays Feast - One Hundred Eleven

Appetizer: What was the very last song you listened to? My husband singing

"Hands, hands, beautiful hands
Reaching for you and for me
Hands meek and lowly, innocent and holy
Hands pierced on Calvary"



Soup: What was one company/store/corporation you would recommend that people stay away from?

I can think of two right off the bat. Abercrombie & Fitch - For more info check out American Decency Association and Howard Stern - I can't believe what they allow him to do!!


Salad: On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest, how much do you enjoy having your picture taken?

I don't care to have my picture taken, it's the result that bothers me! I guess I would say a 7.

Main Course: Besides a bookmark, what is something you've used to keep your place in a book?

Magazine subscription cards, paper, pens, or whatever is close by.

Dessert: Name a food that you like that most people don't.

Something my mother used to fix when I was young that I have passed on to my kids, but not everyone is keen to trying is:

Place soda crackers on a cookie sheet
Put a slice of cheese on cracker, sized to fit cracker
Top with a large marshmallow
Place in oven and bake until cheese is slightly melted and
marshmallow has softened

ATTENTION** Susie, over at bluebirdblogs is having a contest where 2 very lucky people will win a FREE, YES FREE, completely customized blog design. ENTER TODAY!!!

Early morning fog

When I looked out over our front yard at the pond this morning this is what I saw. I just thought it was so pretty that I wanted to share it with someone.

Friday Feast - One Hundred Ten

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APPETIZER: Name three things that you are wearing today.
Jeans, lilac top, sandles.

SOUP: Who was the last person you hugged?
My husband.

SALAD: What do you like to order from your favorite fast food place?
I don't eat fast food too often but if I was going to it would definitely be fries from McDonald's and probably a Big Mac.

MAIN COURSE: What time of day do you usually feel most energized.
I'm a morning, get-up-and-go, kind of woman.

DESSERT: Using the letters in your first name write a sentence. (Example: Sweet unusual spaniels are nice.)
Chickens hatch eggs regularly year long.

The Results Are In!

I want to thank everyone who participated in the meme I sent out Monday. As I got to following some of the tags and comments I was rather surprised by some of the choices. So in case anyone else was interested I thought I would post the results I came up with. I know a few people haven't had a chance to answer their tags yet, but these results are based on 18 participates. The remaining numbers went to no preferences, didn't answer question, or odd brand (I don't mean odd by it was a strange choice, just there was maybe only 1 chosen of that brand).

TEA - First of all it was hands-down on the Luzianne being the overall favorite 11 to 2.

TP - While the "Double" rolls won out consistenly in any brand, Charmin, Cottonelle and Quilted Northern were tied with 3 each. Angel Soft won with 4.

CEREAL - The ceral was quite a variety. Although Frosted Mini Wheats was the favorite here but only by 1 voite, followed by Kashi, other healthy choices such as Smart Start, Heart Smart, Granola, Raisin Bran, and others.

DISHWASHER DETERGENT - I was beginning to think that Sunlight was going to win out with 4 but Cascade pulled through with 7. There were also some Palmolives and Electrosol. The liquid was definitely the preferred form. This one surprised me and I think I'm probably going to have to try Sunlight just to see if I might like it better than Cascade.

FRUIT - I'm glad to share that most everyone had difficulty deciding on which fruit they preferred the most, because they liked so many of them. So I went with the first one listed unless otherwise stated further in their answer. However, strawberries won with 5 and watermelon, peaches and apple came in with 2's. Also included was nectars, bananas, mango, grapes and oranges.

DETERGENT - This is another one which surprised me with Gain coming through as the #1 choice. Tide followed with 4. Also included was Wisk, Cheer and All. I have tried Gain a couple of times and while I personally like it ok, my husband always asks "did you use a different detergent?" He has a very sensitive smeller and the smell is too strong for him. He can't even walk down the detergent aisle!!!!

CHOCOLATE - This did not surprise me at all. There was 16 "yes'es", 1 "no answer" and 1 EW! (Which goes out to Barb.........don't be too hard on her).

RIGHT/LEFT HANDED - Not surprising was 16 right-hands and 2 left-hands.

DEBIT - Since we are all so "up in the times" the majority uses debit cards and the occasional check, even several people still carry cash.

Once again, thank you for your participation.

Have a great day!

Luzianne or Lipton?

I don't even remember what I was doing at the time but suddenly a question came to my mind, "I wonder if BooMama makes her sweet tea with Luzianne or Lipton? Why I wondered that I have no idea.

However it got me to wondering if the consensus from southern women (or anyone else who wants to be tagged) would be Luzianne or Lipton, and then I wandered off to other items. Just out of curiousity, a poll I guess you could say. So today I am tagging these questions to 5 people and they are: BooMama, Bev, Barb, Brenda, and this pastor's wife. (Boy, I thought I was stuck on the "B's"!)

1. If you make sweet tea, or your favorite style, do you use Luzianne, Lipton or _______ whatever your brand is)? Luzianne

2. What brand of toilet paper do you buy, and is it the larger rolls or regular? (What is it about toilet paper?) Charmin, large rolls

3. Which brand of bath soap do you use? Is it body wash or bar style? Ivory or Caress, bars

4. Which cereal do you buy for yourself? Banana Nut Crunch, or Cheerios

5. What brand of dishwasher detergent do you use and is it liquid or tablets? Cascade, liquid

6. What is your favorite fruit to eat? watermelon

7. Which brand of clothes detergent do you use? Tide

8. Do you like chocolate? Yes

9. Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right

10. Do you still write checks or use a debit card? Debit

Our House

At the time BooMama did her Bloggity Tour of Homes I had just discovered "Blogger" and the whole bloggy thing. I was still trying to setup my blog and to try uploading pictures just wasn't something I wanted to tackle then. Although I have been working on this for weeks, through no cooperation from "blogger", I finally went to "Photobucket" and got my pictures to upload. So Bev, while I know you have more interesting things (Landon, for one) (I think he may be a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, just guessing) to look at now, here is a tour of our home.

My husband and I built our home in 1999 on the family farm (it no longer has cattle or crops). We painted everything off-white then (except the kitchen, it's a pale yellow) and only recently have started adding color and going back to add detail to the rooms. So pardon us if you see something that doesn't appear completed.

Oh how the Lord has blessed us with this house!! I never in my wildest dreams thought I would live in a house this large. God's hand was truly in this.

It's not real fancy, but we "live" in it and everyone' welcome!

When you walk into our front door you see the stairs and just to the left is the foyer, which has some of my favorite things in it.









The chair on the left has several quilts that belonged to my grandmother. The desk was my great-grandmothers. The buffet was given to me by some dear friends. The buckboard was my mothers, given to her by my best friend and she used it as a coffee table and to hold her "decorating magazines" (I guess I inherited that interest from her).

As you go through that door you will be in my husband's office. We recently painted this room.












This is my kitchen. (Excuse the different format, Photobucket)



The door you see here takes you to one of my favorite parts of the house. My pantry. I told my husband I would rather have fewer cabinets and a larger pantry cause I was tired of standing on my head to get pots and pans out of the lower cabinets. I think it turned out being about an 8x8 room. Oh....but with the pantry you can just walk up to the mixer, or whatever, reach out, pick it up, and off you go. As you can tell I have utilized every inch of it. We even have a small size freezer in there too.





Back to the kitchen.



We did end up having more cabinets than I wanted so that the room would be "balanced" and not end up with a bare wall. Hey, that's ok too, because they are pretty much full.




This is the dining area of the kitchen. My mother had had this hutch since at least 1954. There is a drop-leaf table that matches it. I think you can barely see it in the first "kitchen" picture.



In the first kitchen picture, up by the table, there is an archway. It leads to the formal dining room, which you can also see from the living room. Basically you can go in a circle throughout the downstairs.




To the left of the front door is our living room. As you can see this is all one big room with the formal dining room being at the far end.




By the front door you can see a set of french doors, that will lead you to my office and/or Mary Kay area.

So this is where I blog most of the time (or laptop).




This is another favorite area of mine. These are mostly pictures of my mom's side of the family. They include my mom, grandma, great-grandma and grandpa, aunts, me, and my brother, etc. It also has an old framed family tree, and my mother and aunts Cradle Roll Certificate from where they were baptized as babies. I want to make the turn down the hall and use that wall for my dad's side.



Our home sits about 600' off of the road. So I decided to show you the scenery as if you were looking towards the road from our house. If you were on our balcony looking slightly to the left you will see the driveway and this row of pear trees we planted.



If you turn slightly to the right you will see our pond. And yes, we mow all of this and more.



Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Corinthians 5:1

Friday Feast - One Hundred Nine

Appetizer
What are some lyrics you have misheard (such as, instead of "Gettin' Jiggy With It" you heard "Kick a chicken with it")? I know I have done this numerous times but right now my memory fails me.

Soup
What is the worst movie you have ever seen? To me "the worst" being disgusting, sickening, etc. I think that would have to be "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". I don't even watch scary movies but that one was part of a Double Feature (do they even have those anymore) and they played that one first. Those kind of movies make me physically sick to my stomach, people who intentionally hurt people like that. I just don't understand.

Salad
Using the letters from your favorite number, write a sentence. Example. Tomorrow has really easy experiences. The heaven I reach to experience eternally nears.

Main Course
What was the most interesting news story you have heard this week? I was interested to know that the bride (newlyweds) who was killed in the Kentucky plane crash is apparently the daughter of a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant. The Mary Kay women (and men) are an extended family who love and care about each other.

Dessert
What word(s) would you use to describe your wardrobe? Not very trendy and rather bland.